The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-06-17
A MASONIC oFFENsE.


The Grand Master of the Masonic Order
of Missouri Declares That Saioon-;
Keepers Must Quit the Business or tIles
oder.
The following is a portion Of the
edict recently issued by Grand Master
George R. Hunt to the Worshipful
Master wardens and brethren of the
several Masonic lodges in Missouri:
In 1882 the Grand lodge declared saloon
Keeping 10 De un-Masonic. in these words: Re
S0t0sd Ihat the business of saloon-keepine is
hereby declared to be d Masonic offence
the bylaw above quoted applies to the bust
ness of saloon keeping as wei as to drunken
ness, gambling, etc. 1t must, therefore, be en-
forced against saloon-keeping Masons The
lodges shall enforce the Masonic law against all
I'M Masonic conduct says the bylaw. Saloon
keeping is hereby declared to be Masonic
offence says the Grand lodge Therefore all
lodges shall and must enforce the law against
saioOn-keeping members of the order in Mis-
souri,. The Grand lodge has spoken. There
must be no evading of the law because the
Grand lodge has said it shall be enforced.
LiQGor-selling for drinking purposes is sternly
forbidden and can not be tolerated by the
lodges. To permit members of our lodges to
continue business declared to be un-Masonic
Is to allow an open defiance of the Grand lodge
and its bylaws. This the lodges must not.
tolerate, because they thereby encourage
wrong by eXempting such as thus violate and
oety the law. The saloon-keeping Mason would
thus be made a privileged character, and al
lowed to do, with impunity, what the Grand.
Ioage mas declared to be un-ATasonic. They are
exempted from the penalty of a law they are
violating every day, while drunkenness caused
by them, is pronounced gross, un-Afasonlc con-
| Duct. We punish those gNilty of habitual
! drunkenness while we spare the saloon-keep-
| ing Mason, whose business it is to make drunk
| ards. 1t is not just to punish fallen brother
and screen the one who caused h s fall The
Grand lodge has declared it to be a strange rule
that would punish the victim and not the VIC
| timber.
''The Grand lodge has put itself on record
| against saloon-keeping or selling liquor for
drinking purposes, declaring the business to be
| un-MaSonic. It has affirmed the law 10 be good
| and right in every case where lodges have ex-
PEELED or suspended the violators of the law.
1.-THE Grand lodge has suspended several par
| ties, when the lodges failed to convict them,
when the evidence was plain and strong The
charters Of such lodges have been arrested.
The law has been in existence so long that none
! may plead either ignorance or want of time to
! change their business. Their continuance in q
| business declared to be un-Nfasonic is open de-
| fiance to the law. The Grand lodge has laid
down the rule that any member affected by our
law has the opportunity to quit the business or
quit Masonry
THE Grand lodge at its last session ordered
that the secretaries of lodges report to the
| grand secretary, in the annual returns the
names of all Masons who may be violating the
law as saloon-keepers You are hereby directed
to see this order obeyed and the name of every
such person placed in your reports. Blank
spaces are provided for this purpose on the re-
turns.
with the law and the purposes of the Grand
lodge so fully known it remains for the lodges
to say that the laws and edicts shall be enforced
| against un-Masonic conduct. If the lodges do
not enforce them, the Grand lodge will do it.
The Grand lodge says it shall be done. The
lodges have no election. They are not judges
of the law. The Grand lodge made the law.
The subordinates are not to judge the law, but
are judges only of the points as CHARGED against
the violatOrs of the law. Remember that the
Grand lodge has waited long and patiently on
the violators of the law to change their bust
ness. Failing to do so, the law shall be en-
forced, and they must quit the business or quit
Masonry. Every member of the order prom
ised, when received, to abide by the law. A
constant violation of the law is a reputation
of the obligation taken Such must change
their course by giving up their business, or else
quit Masonry.
AAlC AhHolCAS u tsii AoN5CS III tilio IullSttlC-
tion are hereby enioined and directed to see
that this circular is read in the lodges, and
that the law Of the Grandlodge is duly enforced
respecting the matters and things herein spe-
| CITED.
''Ihe deputy grand masters of the several
districts in this grand jurisdiction are hereby
charged with the special duty of seeing that the
purposes of this circular are observed and car
ried into effect by the various lodges under
their official control. They will report any dis
regard of these laws in their lodges, concerning
un-Masonic conduct, and furnish me all full
particulars in each CASE"